Lake Norman Offers Peace and Quiet, Great Fishing
“It’s a slice of paradise‚” says Carmen Anastasio about the Lake Norman cove that he calls home. That’s why he and his wife‚ Carol‚ built their retirement home there in 1993 – and then decided to pack up and leave their native New York when they were only 50.
“I kept asking her what we were waiting for‚” Anastasio recalls. “What prompted us to do it was we saw that movie‚ On Golden Pond. I said‚ ‘Now‚ that’s living!’ ”
In Mooresville‚ Anastasio launched Master Power Brakes‚ a supplier of high-performance brakes for the street-rod and restoration markets. The couple owns 3.5 waterfront acres with a 50-foot deck the length of the house. Six sliding glass doors open onto the deck and offer an unrestricted and breathtaking view. A gazebo‚ dock and gardens complete the picture.
A familiar sight from the Anastasio deck is the area’s collection of charter fishing boats‚ with operators who ferry clients to the hottest fishing spots.
“ There are different areas that fish hold in‚ and it depends on what time of the year it is‚ too. That’s when depth is important‚” says Tracy Westmoreland‚ owner of Quicksilver Fishing Guide Service‚ which offers half-day and full-day trips and night fishing in the summer.
Popular catches for Lake Norman anglers are striped bass‚ catfish and brim. In fact‚ Westmoreland’s largest striper‚ all 25 pounds of it‚ is mounted on Westmoreland’s wall. He explains that stripers aren’t native to Lake Norman‚ but rather to coastal waters‚ and the lake‚ therefore‚ is stocked.
“ Stripers won’t reproduce in the lake‚ because the eggs have to continuously roll for so many hours to fertilize‚” he says. “There isn’t that kind of movement in a lake.”
Most charters supply the boat‚ bait‚ tackle‚ rods and reels. That’s true for Lake Norman Ventures Inc.‚ owned by Gus Gustafson. He’s been fishing Lake Norman since Duke Power built Cowans Ford Dam across the Catawba River and created North Carolina’s largest man-made lake in 1963.
“ People will read something in the paper that says that’s fishing good‚ but they don’t have the equipment‚ and they don’t know where to go. That’s what my service basically provides‚” Gustafson explains. “It’s a big lake‚ and so an intimidating lake. There are 32‚000 acres out here‚ which is monstrous‚ and 520 miles of shoreline. Their chances of catching fish are much improved when they’re with me rather than going by themselves. A lot of people just don’t go fishing very often‚ and I put them at ease.”
Catching fish is important‚ but Gustafson says having a good fishing experience is just as critical.
“ When folks get off my boat‚ they’re happy people‚” he says. “Fishing is supposed to be fun.
